Note: All submitted events must be approved before they appear in the calendar.
Join multidisciplinary artist Spencer Finch in conversation with Sarah Newman, SAAM’s James Dicke Curator of Contemporary Art. Finch is best known for his large-scale, site-specific works that explore changing landscapes, such as the Hudson River and Great Salt Lake. Through his work, he touches on the ideas of memory, environmentalism, the passage of time, and […]
Join multidisciplinary artist Spencer Finch in conversation with Sarah Newman, SAAM’s James Dicke Curator of Contemporary Art. Finch is best known for his large-scale, site-specific works that explore changing landscapes, such as the Hudson River and Great Salt Lake. Through his work, he touches on the ideas of memory, environmentalism, the passage of time, and […]
Visit SAAM and experience the museum's free and new AR experience, "The Temple of Invention", now available to visitors from April 18 through May 16, 2024. Before it was an […]
Celebrate a uniquely American art form with Take 5: Jazz at SAAM, a series of free, live performances in the Kogod Courtyard with North Carolina native percussionist Tyler Leak. Having studied with legendary creatives such as saxophonist Branford Marsalis, percussionist Ali Jackson, and bassist Aaron Mills, Leak has managed to cultivate a lane of his […]
The Art of Entertaining is the inaugural tablescapes event presented by the Junior League of Washington. Immerse yourself in a showcase of captivating table designs and demonstrations, designed to inspire […]
Join the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum on Saturday April 20th as we Honor and Celebrate our Earth! Meet community partners, enjoy family friendly maker activities, and learn more about plant […]
Join SAAM and the National Portrait Gallery to celebrate Earth Day! Enjoy musical performances from Bash the Trash and other acts to learn how art and science can help protect the earth. Attendees can also enjoy nature-themed crafts and coloring pages as well as face painting for those ages 12 and under. A scavenger hunt […]
Join us for a post-screening discussion with filmmaker Luke Fowler, in person. Drawing on a wealth of unseen archival material, including sound recordings, film rushes, offcuts and unpublished notebooks, Luke Fowler’s new feature film focuses on Margaret Tait, one of Scotland’s most enigmatic filmmakers. The film takes one of Tait’s unrealized scripts for Channel 4 […]
Commemorate Earth Day with the music of the Tesla Quartet. Tesla’s project, Rising Tides, inspired in part by the effect of climate change on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, is both a reaction to climate change and a meditation on the rich wonders of our planet that the group strives to protect and preserve. The program […]
Jewelers'Werk Galerie is pleased to present "Complementary," an exhibition of new and recent work by artist-jeweler Sarah King. The show opens on Saturday, April 27, 2024 and will remain on view until May 18, 2024. The title primarily refers to the pieces being made in series with their variations talking to one another, as well […]
Profs and Pints DC presents: “Good, Evil, and Dune,” an exploration of the hit sci-fi franchise as epic without a hero, with Peter Herman, former lecturer of theology and religious […]
Join us for an in-depth presentation focused on Black Latinx artists whose work takes on erasure and exclusion as legacies of colonization. The lecture explores the idea of “making as action” and the provocative and transformative role art and scholarship can play in this conversation. About the presenter Adriana Zavala is associate professor at Tufts […]
Enjoy a night of DIY crafting, drinks, and fun at DC’s original craft happy hour. Learn how to make felt and yarn pom poms to fashion your own strand of garland. Enjoy light food, and beverages provided by ANXO cider. Light snacks, crafting materials, two drinks, and after-hours access to the Renwick Gallery are included […]
Join SAAM’s research fellows for this lunchtime series of gallery talks as they share new discoveries about artworks on view. Learn the stories behind these objects and how each one tells us about an ever-changing culture in the United States. Elizabeth Fair, Smithsonian Institution Predoctoral Fellow, discusses Kay Sekimachi and Bob Stocksdale’s Marriage in Form. […]
The Best Buddies Friendship Walk in Washington, DC is an unforgettable event held on the iconic National Mall! Join us for a day filled with joy, inclusivity, and the spirit […]
A FREE day of indoor and outdoor art programming organized by American University Museum at the Katzen Art Center, The Kreeger Museum, Dumbarton Oaks, Jackson Art Center, Addison/Ripley Fine Art, Klagsbrun Studios and Georgetown University Art Galleries
Do the art loop of NW DC! Join participating locations for a free day of indoor and outdoor arts programming.
Our doors are open for a weekend of art, Saturday, April 27, 11 - 4 pm and Sunday, April 28, 12 - 4 pm. Saturday, Jackson is a stop on DO THE LOOP, an afternoon of art open houses in Northwest DC, including Jackson Art Center, the Katzen Art Center, The Kreeger Museum, Dumbarton Oaks, […]
Our doors are open for a weekend of art, Saturday, April 27, 11 - 4 pm and Sunday, April 28, 12 - 4 pm. Saturday, Jackson is a stop on DO THE LOOP, an afternoon of art open houses in Northwest DC, including Jackson Art Center, the Katzen Art Center, The Kreeger Museum, Dumbarton Oaks, […]
Join us for a post-screening discussion with director Maria Niro and artist Krzysztof Wodiczko, in person. Internationally renowned artist Krzysztof Wodiczko has dedicated his work and life to denouncing militarization and war. Maria Niro’s recent documentary, The Art of Un-War, follows Wodiczko’s trajectory from his birth in Warsaw during World War II and his expulsion […]
Which Way is Mecca? highlights inspiring, hilarious, and moving stories by eight Muslim storytellers. Trues tales about friendship, family, food, music, and more that celebrate the DMV’s diverse Muslim population
France and Washington, DC have a very special connection, and Off the Mall Tours is offering a walking experience in honor of the French Market, that will show the many ways in which our Gallic friends have influenced the neighborhood of Georgetown. This 1.5 hour walk introduces you to how Georgetown played host to a […]
France and Washington, DC have a very special connection, and Off the Mall Tours is offering a walking experience in honor of the French Market, that will show the many ways in which our Gallic friends have influenced the neighborhood of Georgetown. This 1.5 hour walk introduces you to how Georgetown played host to a […]
Just in time for the Georgetown French Market, join Off the Mall Tours for a special Gallic-themed walking tour! France and Washington, DC have a very special connection, and Off the Mall Tours is offering a walking experience that will show the many ways in which our Gallic friends have influenced the neighborhood of Georgetown. […]
TWO SHOWS ONLY: Sunday, April 28 & Sunday, May 5 at 2pm — Tour (self-guided): 2pm — Magic Show: 3pm in the Secret Gatehouse — Cash Bar ABOUT RICH BLOCH One of the busiest corporate entertainers in the world — Richard Bloch is a frequent headliner on Las Vegas and Atlantic City stages. He is […]
Explore performance as a way of knowing with award-winning actress, playwright, and professor Anna Deavere Smith. Since 1980, Smith has been interviewing Americans through her project “On the Road: A Search for American Character,” which she eventually developed into a new form of theater. Delivered with segments of performance, these lectures will examine materials collected […]
Capital Harvest Market (CHoP), a weekly downtown market, opens for a 16th season on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Explore a vibrant array of specialty foods, take a culinary tour around […]
Join senior curator Virginia Mecklenburg for a highlights tour of SAAM's exhibition Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice. Painted in the mid-1940s, these images honor the stories of African American historical figures who worked to bring peace to the world while facing the realities of racism, oppression, and violence. Learn more about the […]
Washington experienced an unprecedented rise in prostitution during and after the Civil War. During this period, Pennsylvania Avenue became DC's most notorious red light district, from the ramshackle "boarding houses" of Murder Bay to the glamorous pleasure houses of Marble Alley, all within sight of the Capitol. Also, a new profession for women was rising, […]
Calling all budding architects: Let’s build! Build Day is an all-ages family program, ideal for ages 12 and under. Elementary school artists will be featured. Join Hirshhorn Kids, District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Arts, and Boolean Girl for a hands-on exploration of design and building. Find us on the Hirshhorn Plaza. In the event […]
Calling all budding architects: Let’s build! Build Day is an all-ages family program, ideal for ages 12 and under. Elementary school artists will be featured. Join Hirshhorn Kids, District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Arts, and Boolean Girl for a hands-on exploration of design and building. Find us on the Hirshhorn Plaza. In the event […]
Through original documentary and experimental strands, this eclectic program of short films explores the labor and politics of textile production, clothing, and identity through contemporary media art. Titles include Language of Memory (Laura Kraning, 2009, 16mm to digital, 3 minutes); Following the Thread (Kathy Brew and Roberto Guerra, 2021, Spanish and Quechua with English and […]
Off the Mall Tours takes you on a winding journey through an era in which the U Street neighborhood of Washington, DC was giving rise to a vibrant jazz scene and establishing the roots of a new movement in black intellectualism. Also known as "Black Broadway", the U Street corridor was a neighborhood where black […]
Jane Franklin Dance performs “on the Run” with a concert that features award-winning choreographers and performances by Forty+ Project. Enjoy movement and dance in the heart of Arlington’s industrial district at Four Mile Run. Throw It Up by Ryan Bailey is about an itch within the body that needs to be released; an original rhythm […]
Jane Franklin Dance performs “on the Run” with a concert that features award-winning choreographers and performances by Forty+ Project. Enjoy movement and dance in the heart of Arlington’s industrial district at Four Mile Run. Throw It Up by Ryan Bailey is about an itch within the body that needs to be released; an original rhythm […]
The alleyways of DC served a distinct purpose as a city planning feature, but they also provided a hidden safe space where escaped enslaved people and the economically disadvantaged could find inexpensive housing and live their lives away from prying eyes. While city officials condemned life in the alleyways as dangerous, dirty and diseased, they […]
Jane Franklin Dance performs “on the Run” with a concert that features award-winning choreographers and performances by Forty+ Project. Enjoy movement and dance in the heart of Arlington’s industrial district at Four Mile Run. Throw It Up by Ryan Bailey is about an itch within the body that needs to be released; an original rhythm […]
Join the 2023–2024 SAAM Fellows as they present new scholarship on a range of topics and time periods, media and messages. This multi-afternoon program will highlight a new generation of […]
Embark on a mystifying journey where the unseen and unheard stories of espionage come alive! This unique exhibit unravels the mystery of clandestine operations in the most unexpected places: from […]
Join the Smithsonian American Art Museum for a docent-led tour of highlights from the museum’s collection using museum-provided, colorblind correcting glasses that bring the vibrancy of these works to life. […]
Celebrate mom with a glass of champagne (21+) and chocolates as you explore our unique immersive exhibits and search for secret doors. We have over 100 rooms and 80+ secret […]
The Beaux-Arts mansion of Gilded Age heiress Mary Scott Townsend, now home of the private Cosmos Club, 2121 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, will be open for a complimentary tour for a […]
Tudor Place’s own Rob DeHart and Ianna Recco discuss one of the most unique artworks in the Tudor Place Collection: an eighteenth-century diorama of miniature wax sculptures created by New […]
Celebrate a uniquely American art form with Take 5: Jazz at SAAM, a series of free, live performances in the Kogod Courtyard, with Washington DC-based trumpet player, arranger, composer and […]
This brand new adaptation based on the beloved children’s novel by Lewis Carroll will take the audience on a delightful journey into wonderland using rod puppets. This one-of-a-kind performance blends […]
Someone visiting Georgetown today may see it as another wealthy enclave in a continuously gentrifying Washington, DC. However, this charming area that boasts high-end shopping and gourmet restaurants has a […]
The highly-acclaimed choral ensemble “The Thirteen” return to Holy Trinity for a concert featuring choral masterworks under the baton of Matthew Robertson. In this program, The Thirteen explores moral beauty […]
Join us on May 18th as the National Chamber Ensemble culminates its season with “Concerto Celebration.” Enjoy several masterworks as NCE performs two famous concertos in an intimate chamber music […]
Join us for a one-day, outdoor, family event on Main Street located in Historic Old Town Fairfax City. We will be highlighting Asian heritage through food, arts & craft, education, […]
Join your United States Navy Band for an afternoon of chamber music at the Athenaeum in Old Town Alexandria! As one of their most unique concerts, the Chamber Music Recital […]
An ill-fated artist, an Ambassador's wife, a Baroness, and the most powerful woman in journalism.....What do they all have in common? They were part of the most exclusive club of […]
Mortified stars everyday adults sharing their most embarrassingly real teenage diary entries, poems, love letters, and locker notes...in front of total strangers. Hailed as a "cultural phenomenon" by Newsweek, this […]
Join Pattern and Paradox contributor and textile historian Janneken Smucker for insights into the history of Amish quilts and the works featured in SAAM’s exhibition, Pattern and Paradox, that were […]
In the season finale program for its 2023.24 season, The Washington Ballet commissioned internationally acclaimed choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa to curate a special evening, including her lauded 2019 TWB commission, […]
Join Janneken Smucker, professor of history at West Chester University, and Leslie Umberger, curator of folk and self-taught art, for an in-depth tour of SAAM’s exhibition Pattern and Paradox: The […]
Join Janneken Smucker, professor of history at West Chester University, and Leslie Umberger, curator of folk and self-taught art, for an in-depth tour of SAAM’s exhibition Pattern and Paradox: The […]
Join us in the Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction exhibition for a conversation with scholar and exhibition catalog contributor Bibiana Obler and Lynne Cooke, exhibition curator. They will discuss […]
Jewelers'Werk Galerie is pleased to present Mostly Air, an exhibition featuring a captivating collection of 100 vessels crafted by internationally acclaimed artist-jeweler Bettina Dittlmann. The show opens on Saturday, May […]
Travel through time on our Georgetown walking tour To put it simply, a walk through Washington’s tony Georgetown neighborhood is a venture through time — of 200-year-old mansions and their […]
In this introduction to botanical dye printing, learn how to extract nature’s textures and colors to print on paper. Working with fresh leaves participants will learn how to make bundles […]
Join SAAM’s research fellows for this lunchtime series of gallery talks as they share new discoveries about artworks on view. Learn the stories behind these objects and how each one […]
Join SAAM’s research fellows for this lunchtime series of gallery talks as they share new discoveries about artworks on view. Learn the stories behind these objects and how each one […]
Join us for an afternoon of presentations and conversations in celebration of our exhibition "Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction." This program is organized by the National Gallery’s Center for […]
The annual DC Day of Archaeology Festival gathers archaeologists from Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia together to talk about our local heritage. Talk to archaeologists in person and learn more […]
Come celebrate and bid farewell to Frank Albinder in his final concert as Music Director of the Washington Men’s Camerata featuring a special program of his most cherished pieces for […]
Join Capriccio Baroque for a spectacular concert of music by J.S. Bach performed on a gorgeous German-styled harpsichord. Famed French virtuoso and Gramophone Award winner, Pierre Hantaï, is sure to […]
Four programs of films and videos by award-winning LBGTQ+ artists include a weekend of 16mm films by Warren Sonbert, curated and presented by Jon Gartenberg of Gartenberg Media Enterprises; the […]
Profs and Pints DC presents: “Horror as Queer,” a look at the influence and depiction of queerness in horror films, with May Santiago, adjunct professor of film studies at George […]
Once upon a vine, John Jarboe’s aunt revealed that John not only had a twin sister in the womb, but that John consumed her: “You ate her. That’s why you […]
Join us in Johnstown, PA, June 6-9, 2024, for an epic celebration of blacksmithing as the Artist-Blacksmith’s Association of North America celebrates its 50th Anniversary. Activities in Johnstown’s Central Park […]
Come join us for 3 fun watercolor sessions with Etai to learn new techniques and unleash your creativity! Thursdays, June 6, 13, 20 2024 6:30-9:00 P.M. 6/13 - PART ONE […]
Join curators and artists for the opening of the Renwick Gallery’s newest exhibition featuring artworks from SAAM’s collection. Grounded in the experiences and perspectives of women of diverse backgrounds, this […]
Broadway Gallery will be introducing Eugenia Mart and her latest artwork in a June art show with a First Friday reception on June 7th from 6-8 pm at Broadway Gallery’s […]
The Gem Miners Shows feature renowned international sellers of collectible gemstones, minerals, beads and jewelry and is one of the first major professional gem shows being held in 2024 in […]
With Marissa Jaret Winokur, Laura Bell Bundy and Kerry Butler Saturday, June 8, 7 p.m. $75/$60 senior/$50 MCC tax district residents VIP $100/$85 senior/$75 MCC tax district residents VIP tickets […]
Bring a picnic and enjoy live theater on the sprawling South Lawn. The Picnic Theatre Group will present a play adaptation of The Candidate, set in 1972. In this satire […]
Join Sitar Arts Center on Wednesday, June 12 at 6:30 p.m. for a conversation with local art curator and rising star Camille Brown, our featured guest for the final installment […]
Curious about American art? Join us for a 30-minute in person conversation about selected works from the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection. This program is presented in American Sign Language […]
Thursdays, June 13, 20, 27, 2024 6:30-9:00 P.M. 6/13 - PART ONE - Color Theory 6/20 - PART TWO - Brushwork and Textural Effects 6/27 - PART THREE - Washes […]
Mt. Pleasant Walking Whiskey Tour Join Troy Hughes, local author and a co-founder of the revived pre-Prohibition whiskey brand Mt. Pleasant Club Whiskey for a walking tour that reveals why […]
Framing on a budget and not looking to make a frame by hand from scratch? This class will show you how to turn a cheap frame from a box store […]
Grisaille, Verdaccio, Glaze, Impasto, Underpainting and Indirect Painting..... Have you ever seen these techniques referenced in art museums and wondered what they mean? These are various techniques artists have developed […]
Join us for a fun-filled 6-week art summer camp with Sadie Randal (they/them), designed for kids aged 10 to 14 - it's gonna be epic! Students will: - Learn the […]
Chamber Dance Project, Washington, D.C.’s premiere contemporary ballet company led by award-winning choreographer Diane Coburn Bruning, is pleased to present its highly anticipated June Season: Ramblin’, featuring live performances by […]
Join SAAM’s research fellows for this lunchtime series of gallery talks as they share new discoveries about artworks on view. Learn the stories behind these objects and how each one […]
Whether you want to be a traditional oil painter or a digital illustrator, a solid foundation in drawing is essential. This 9-week class will allow students to pursue their own […]
Whether you are looking to apply to art school or not, a strong art portfolio will make you stand out from other applicants. Colleges look for a mix of artwork […]
Join the Smithsonian American Art Museum for a docent-led virtual tour designed for participants who are blind or have low vision. Discover highlights from the collection through rich verbal descriptions […]
Jul 11- Aug 29 - Thursdays 5:30 - 8:30 pm *(No class Aug 8) This class is for adult beginners to learn the fundamentals of drawing, photography, and artistic composition. […]
Eight Days of Performances 37 Productions; 138 Individual Shows The 2024 Capital Fringe Festival will feature entirely original theatre, dance, and unclassifiable productions with a total of 150 cast and […]
Join Mary Savig, the Lloyd Herman Curator of Craft, for a lecture about the exhibition “Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women”, now on view at SAAM’s Renwick Gallery. The […]
Join SAAM’s research fellows for this lunchtime series of gallery talks as they share new discoveries about artworks on view. Learn the stories behind these objects and how each one […]
